Coach Jennifer: "You Will Make It!"

Encouraging, Positive words shared from Coach Jennifer on her Facebook.

"I know you have been in this position for so long, your critics have had a field day at your expense, your friends have spread thin and you feel all alone but hear me! You are never alone because God is always right there with you. If you look close enough there is someone still standing with you, be thankful and the end is not here because you are still standing. God will surprise all your critics by proving them wrong! your thinning friends by showing them your healing and prosperity and YOU by showing you his faithfulness. Stay strong! The Lord will deliver you with his out stretched RIGHT hand. Psalms 18 is for you today. read it.

You will make it because God said so and you are going to arise with boldness and go forth without fear because you heard him and you believe. This week you will excel and come into an abundance of blessings. Stay focused."

Coach Jennifer also came from Matthew 18 in her awesome Sunday message:

 "It's Not Personal" Check It Out!

Antoine Dodson Renounces Homosexuality

While many are clamoring over a certain ball players "coming out". One well known public figure is getting it together. Antoine Dodson first caught public attention on local network news for speaking his mind boldly about crimes and issues surrounding his neighborhood specifically involving an incident that happened to his sister. His presence became a viral phenomenon. Dodson became a YouTube sensation, went on to make music as well as provide commentary for popular media networks.

Dodson Included in YouTube's April Fool's Joke

Dodson recently released several tweets on the Internet proclaiming that all he needed was the Most High...

I have to renounce myself, I'm no longer into homosexuality I want a wife and family, I want to multiply and... fb.me/2eVQFWGRB
— Kevin Antoine Dodson (@antoinedodson24) May 2, 2013

I'm Antoine wait, I am KEVIN ANTOINE DODSON, and I just want what's best for all and this is the way for me, hate... fb.me/2pjyMnesN
— Kevin Antoine Dodson (@antoinedodson24) May 3, 2013

“I want a wife and family, I want to multiply and raise and love my family that I create,” Dodson ranted to his 360k followers. “I could care less about the fame and fortune I’ve giving all that up to know the true history of the bible.”

In the midst of the chic-fil-a controversy in 2012 Dodson showed his support for the fast food chain. 

Dodson showing support for Chic-fil-a

Dodson definitely knows how to make the headlines. He continued in his twitter rant with a message to the world: “Hate me if you must, bash me if you must, I won’t break, do what you will, for this is my calling.”

Coach Jennifer: "It's Not Personal"

Trying circumstances happen to everyone regardless of who we are. What we personally believe and how  our thought process works determine how we we react to those circumstances and the overall flow of our daily lives. In this Lesson "It's Not Personal" Coach Jennifer instructs how we can strategically work with, go around , or leap over obstacles; Also, how we can use revelation and right thinking to move toward authentic success and be fulfilled in our specific purpose.

Psalms 18: 28-31

The war is impersonal. Obstruction is not personal. Leap over it, go round it or go through it. God is not interested in people that put their hand to the plow and then look back to the side. When people betray you, you don't have the power to bring them back, but you have the power to move on with your life. Betrayal, death, riches, wealth, all were here before we got here. Stop treating life as though as though its after you.

Key Points:

Depend on the revelation of the word of God and what your true self believes.
you, your mind, and your belief system and what you're trusting God for should should line up. there has to be synchronicity.
Right thinking is thinking which is based on truth and not illusion. It is the foundation which determines the solidity of all other thinking.

• positive thinking and negative thinking are both filtered through our belief systems.
• truth does not care what your belief system is. the world operates on principles and laws. it doesn't matter if you're a Christian or a non-christian the principles and laws are the same.
• God put the law of gravity in place.
• Your decisions and choices have consequences.
• Right thinking comes from being aware of the truth or reality of a situation.
• God's blessing is already declared its up to you what kind of vessel you come with to life. (ex: spoon, bowl, bucket etc.)
• No amount of inspiration. motivation will solve your problems if you keep looking outside of you for solutions. the first place to start and succeed is to shut everything off and focus inward.
• God is (inside) of you.
• hypocrisy doesn't work authenticity does.
• your mind attracts whatever is familiar to itself.
• God knows ALL, our job is to learn to listen. (As for God... Psalms 18:30)
• His way brings truth to the circumstance.
• God speaks through revelation. light and understanding.
• the word that causes light is revelation
• to the extent your revelation goes is to the extent that your life and understanding go.
• transformation is dependent on revelation
• the word of God comes in three forms: revelation, spoken word, and commandments of the Lord. commandments are written.
• what transforms us is revelation... "you can never not know what you know."

How To Stay Motivated For Your Business and Purpose

There are many types of people in terms of how we do things. They are those who are starters, they do well as long as its a new project, they thrive on taking risks, but get bored in the middle of the project and look for something new to do. They are middle people they only want to get involved in something when someone else has got it going and they can see the direction it is going because they are scared to take the risk of a starter. Then they are those who are finishers, they love to bring things to a conclusive powerful finish, that's what excites them, the momentum of taking something that seems to be losing momentum and give it life to its powerful finish.

In order for one To do business and be successful, one must find out what type of person they are so they can learn how to creatively turn all the stages of their business into their preferred style of doing business, be it the start, middle or finishing stage of the process of building a business. Be creative in surrounding your self with people that are different from you but fill in the parts you miss. Remember we are most comfortable with people that are a lot like us but disagree with people that are different from us because they are a contradiction. In business and ministry you need that contradiction to produce at unexpected powerful levels.

Once you get started don't get distracted by the pettiness of what you consider to be failure. As long as you are working your business and turning up passionately, enthusiasticly and full of vision. Keep your focus and learn new ways of doing things every day and become innovative, but never develop a pessimistic view or a wrong way of thinking. Stay on the path and keep improving even if it is by one point. Be thankful and stay skilled it will all come together. You will achieve your goals at the least expected time. Stay lost in your cause. Tell your circumstances to chill, "God and I got this".




--Coach Jennifer



photo credit: ehow

Where is the Love?

A drawing I did for my husband a couple of weeks ago.

Last Sunday at church, my pastor read aloud from John, chapter 13. When he read verses 34 and 35, I mentally froze. It says,

 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

So, I've heard this a thousand times in the past. Love. Love. Love. Wonderful, wondrous, love. I love him, I love her. I love chocolate.

Yet, sitting in that pew on Sunday, I felt befuddled (Yes, I actually felt befuddled. Don't you love S.A.T. words?). I felt convicted. I felt challenged. Jesus said people will know His disciples not by their Mali Music and Michael W. Smith mp3s. Not by the dangling crosses around their necks. Not by those little Jesus fish stuck on their bumpers, either. Nope. They would be known by their love.

Four years ago, I read the very enlightening and informative "unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters” by David Kinnamon and Gabe Lyons. I wrote then:

“unChristian” polls thousands of nonbelievers (atheists, agnostics, Muslims, Hindus, etc), with special emphasis on people between the ages of 16-29, to find out how they view adherents of our faith. The results? Overwhelmingly negative. While this is no shocker, what was surprising for me as a Christian reader is just how negatively we are viewed. Christians are homophobic, hypocritical, too disconnected and not spiritual enough. Unfortunately, as someone on the inside, I could relate to some of the “outsiders” complaints. And it’s not just me who feels some negativity towards my own faith; quite a few of my fellow young Christians also feel some ambivalence towards today’s Christianity. While my view of Jesus has never faltered, I have been quite put off a number of times by other Christ followers.

Recently, I watched the documentary "LORD, Save Us From Your Followers" which touches on the same themes.

Okay, so perhaps you're thinking, "But those people are in the world. They don't know Jesus! They don't know love!" Maybe. But Jesus' words should apply all the more. He said "everyone", not just your fellow small group attendees. It bears repeating: "E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E" will know Jesus' disciples by their love.

So, in the words of the Black Eyed Peas, "Where is the Love"? A challenge to you all: What simple act can you do today to show love? Share your random acts of love in the comments!

Alisha De Freitas blogs at East of Eden.

God's Charity: The Blessing of Giving

Photo Courtesy of www.afewshortcuts.com

      God loves a cheerful giver...  familiar words from 2 Corinthians often recited at church services when it is time for offering. We reach into our wallets and pull cash, change, checks, and sometimes credit cards to give our offering to God because He has been so good to us and we want more blessings. After absorbing the message on Sunday morning we often return to our daily routines that may or may not glorify God. We pass by the homeless man without giving money, because he may use the money for drugs. We ignore a new struggling mother with a screaming child, because she is a public annoyance. We give overabundant amounts of clothing, supplies, and food to a shelter abroad, but will not help a friend who is struggling financially. By giving you create and/or strengthen a spiritual connection with someone that could very well save their lives, called hope. When God blesses us he reminds us that he is the light out of the darkness and it is up to us to spread His light. The action of giving is an act of spiritual completion that allows our blessings to rain upon us... and not just through our wallet. However it is hard to have a heart of light in a world of darkness.

www.illustrationsource.com

Speaking from personal experience there have been several times when a homeless person has cheated my kindness for their gain. Similarly there have been trustworthy people that have used my charitable heart against me.  Their actions have been similar to those of a  predator who preys on guilt and compassion to get any and everything they needed. There are tears shed and smiles gleamed that promise the best intentions with whatever is given. Sometimes their intentions are blatant lies or your kind actions are used until they are no longer needed. This is when the spirit of giving  seems like more of a curse and becomes absurd to believe that God will bless you for your actions.  Then questions like these arise in your spirit and you challenge God on why it is important to give: 

 Why bother having a charitable 

heart to strangers and those closer to me? 

Why have an open heart if it continues to hurt? 

Why allow others to relish in my heartbreak from their exploitation of my kindness?   

      After reciting these questions over and over again while mulling over your decision to be kind,  it seems like being selfish is the best option to protect your heart. The truth is as long as the spirit of the kindness is done with good intentions your blessings will come. It seems like an overused line to ease the spirit of a hurt individual, but it's the truth. When we give of ourselves and not just of our wallets blessings appear. Understand that as individuals our purpose is to fulfill every task that God puts in front of us so that His plan continues to prosper us and the world.  We have to realize that is the random acts of kindness that can change the very way we live, believe, understand, and appreciate life. 

    The homeless man that may be on drugs could receive your gift of food, shelter, or clothing and be inspired to change his life around. Because of his changes he could change the lives of hundreds more. The mother causing a nuisance with her screaming child could be calmed and encouraged by your words and assistance; in turn she could be a mentor for new struggling mothers. And finally instead of shipping clothing and more to a perfect stranger, take your friend grocery and clothes shopping. By doing so you could have saved your friend from an attempted suicide caused by their hard times. No one knows how their actions will ripple or return to them. Just keep in mind that as many chances as God has given us after our transgressions, we too must give the gift of giving a chance to continue to receive God's charity. 

Because of the abundant gift of free will our choice to live a life fulfilled is in our hands.  

You Are Here For a Reason 

 By: Life Vest Inside 

By Carmen Fletcher  

        

A Servant's Heart

(Babble)

Last week on my blog, I wrote about volleyball star and model Gabby Reece's comments about her role as wife and mother. In a much discussed (and trashed) appearance on NBC's "Today," Reece said, via the Huffington Post:

“I think the idea of living with a partner is ‘How can I make their life better?'" Reece told "Today's" Natalie Morales. “So if I’m the woman and he’s the man, then yes, that’s the dynamic. I’m willing and I choose to serve my family and my husband because it creates a dynamic where he is then in fact acting more like a man and masculine and treating me the way I want to be treated."

Reece recently wrote a memoir called "My Foot Is Too Big For The Glass Slipper," in which she claims, “to truly be feminine means being soft, receptive, and –- look out, here it comes –- submissive.”

There was an immediate backlash, which to me, isn't surprising. Many Christian women today even balk at the idea of submission (except, interestingly, when it's "Fifty Shades of Grey"-type... and I'm going to leave that alone).

While thinking about Gabby's comments, I remembered a passage of Scripture that really exemplifies servitude, and I'm not talking about Paul's much debated writings to the Colossians, either. No, this is from the gospel of John, chapter 21:

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus ), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. [emphasis mine, adf]

This is an awesome chapter, full of so much meaning. We've got Jesus having risen from the dead, but not yet ascended to Heaven, the reinstatement of Peter after his thrice denial, a miracle, and His command to "Feed my sheep." But just focus on the words in bold. While the disciples were out fishing, Jesus, the Risen Lord, the Savior, the King of Kings, took the time to make a fire on the beach. Then He prepared breakfast. Jesus hovered over a hot fire and fried up some fish, ya'll. Then He served it to them. He had been tortured, crucified, beaten death and there He was, serving.

And unlike Gabby, who chooses to serve her husband and kids, Jesus was serving the very ones who had abandoned Him during His darkest hours. 

In Ephesians 5, we are told to be "imitators of God," submitting ourselves to each other. In I Peter 5, we are admonished to "clothe yourselves with humility". It's counter-cultural, it's not of this world, but to become like God, we must lower ourselves. Gabby might just be on to something.


How do you feel about submission?
In what ways do you serve? Your family? Your church? Your neighbors?  Your enemies?


Alisha De Freitas blogs at East of Eden.